


A Hero’s Welcome

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Family, Holidays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-11
Updated: 2014-10-11
Packaged: 2018-02-20 17:34:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2437073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They smelled like cocoa, cookies, Emily, and home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Hero’s Welcome

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the **decorating the tree** prompt. It got away just a bit but that’s alright. Also, it’s in the same time frame as **_The_** _**Accidental**_ _**Widower**_.

They saw the lights come into the driveway and got excited. Rushing to the door at the same time he stuck his key in the lock, Aaron Hotchner was bum rushed by his son and daughter.

 

“Daddy!” they exclaimed, throwing their arms around him.

 

“Hey there!”

 

Hotch got down on his haunches, squeezing them close. They smelled like cocoa, cookies, Emily, and home. He stood, still holding onto Bree and Jack’s arms around his waist.

 

“I missed you guys so much.” He said, walking further into the living room.

 

“We missed you too, daddy.”

 

They were not going to let him go and that was alright. Emily came over, wrapping her arms around him. Hotch took a deep breath and stroked her hair. Now he was home.

 

“Hey baby.” He whispered.

 

“Welcome home, Secret Agent Man.” She kissed his cheek.

 

“The tree is great.”

 

“I picked it out.” Jack replied, beaming. “We didn’t want to finish decorating until you got home, dad.”

 

“Mommy bought an angel.”

 

“We will have it all finished tomorrow guys.” Emily said. “We don’t want Santa to pass us by. But its past your bedtime now.”

 

“Tuck me in, daddy.”

 

Hotch could only smile when his daughter cuddled close. Being away was becoming more difficult. He rustled Jack’s hair.

 

“Alright guys, bedtime. Say goodnight to mommy.”

 

“Goodnight, mommy.”

 

“Goodnight, Emily.”

 

She hugged them both, kissing them, and told Hotch to make sure Bree went to the bathroom. She had cocoa after drinking time.

 

“Sweet dreams.”

 

Another kiss and they were up the stairs with their father. Hotch glanced back; Emily blew him another kiss before she got to work on cleaning up. They had a beautiful seven-foot tall Manitoba blue fir tree. She and the kids enjoyed stringing the lights and tinsel. They all decided to wait for Hotch before adding the ornaments and angel. 

 

Emily put on the local radio station; they sang along to their favorite Christmas carols while munching on cookies and drinking cocoa. Years ago when she was alone, Emily’s imagination couldn’t fathom how wonderful family life would be. The day after tomorrow she would be hosting her first family Christmas dinner. The Hotchners and Prentisses would all be together in the Woodley Park home for the festivities. It would be exciting and absolutely nerve wrecking all at the same time.

 

***

 

“Here’s Ninny.” Hotch handed his three year old her favorite doll.

 

“You won't leave again, daddy?” Bree asked, clutching the doll close.

 

“Sometimes my job takes me away from you. I don’t like it but I do this work to make sure all of you live in a safer world.”

 

“Jack says you keep monsters away.”

 

“Always baby.” Hotch caressed her tiny face, spitting image of her mother. “I will always do my best; mommy too. Now close your eyes.”

 

“I love you, daddy.”

 

“I love you too. Kisses.”

 

Bree giggled wildly as her father covered her face in kisses. Hotch tucked her in tightly.

 

“Sweet dreams.”

 

He left the nightlight on before going next door to Jack’s room.

 

“Hey kiddo.”

 

“Hey dad. Did you really like the tree?”

 

“Its amazing.” Hotch sat on the edge of his bed. “That must have been heavy for you guys to carry.”

 

“Natty and Pop Pop went with us. Then they took us out for ice cream.”

 

Hotch smiled. He looked at Jack and while he saw much of himself, Haley was there too. He had her eyes, her chin, and her smile. He had his father’s dimples but his mother’s smile.

 

“Did you get the bad guy?” Jack asked, settling under the blankets.

 

“Yeah, we did.”

 

“You always do.”

 

“I try my best.”

 

“You do a good job, dad.” Jack replied.

 

“Thanks, Jack. Get some sleep; we’ll hang out tomorrow.”

 

Jack nodded. Hotch kissed his forehead, said goodnight, and was halfway to the door when his son’s voice stopped him.

 

“Can I ask you something?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Well…do you think mom in Heaven would be OK if I called Emily mom now?”

 

Hotch nearly gasped. He had no idea what to say and Jack sensed it so he kept talking.

 

“Mom and I talked once about finding names for Emily and Steve but I guess I never found anything. Emily takes good care of me; she is all I have now. I shouldn’t call her Emily anymore.”

 

“She loves you so much Jack.” Hotch sat back on the bed. “You are her son, she really feels that way, and so do I. Your mom up in heaven could not have asked a better person to look after you. I know this past year has been tough. I would give anything to take away your sadness.”

 

“Losing mom was really hard. I would hurt more if I didn’t have Emily. I'm going to ask her to be my mom for Christmas…that’s even better than the sweaters we bought.”

 

“I would say so.” Hotch tried to clear his throat, choking up. He kissed Jack. “Sleep tight, Jack. I love you.”

 

“I love you too.”

 

Taking a deep breath, Hotch left the room. He stood outside of the door and though he tried, he failed to keep the tears at bay. Getting himself together, Hotch stopped in one more bedroom. The newest additions to the Hotchner family, Dylan Gregory and Alexandra Amelia, were sound asleep in their crib. Their father knew that was just for a little while. At six weeks old, sleeping through the night was still a figment of their parents’ imagination. They were both dressed in festive pajamas. Hotch smiled, gently touching them so not to wake them.

 

“Sweet dreams Dylan and Alex.”

 

***

 

“Everyone asleep?” Emily asked, smiling as her husband’s arms slid around her from behind.

 

“Mmm hmm,” Hotch’s lips trailed across the nape of her neck. His hand slid under her sweater to stroke her stomach. “They are all snug in their beds. I bet it won't be this easy tomorrow night.”

 

“Surely not.” she laughed, turning in his arms. Hotch pressed his body against hers. It felt like forever since he touched her. He took a two-week vacation after the twins came but then it was right back to work. 

 

Emily was on maternity leave until the middle of January. She had the option of twelve weeks and could request that time if she chose. The team missed her out in the field. SSA Kendra McQueen was a decent temporary replacement but the BAU wanted Emily Prentiss back.

 

“You're on cookie duty tomorrow evening.” She told him. “The kids decided on peanut butter this year.”

 

“Does Jack still believe in Santa?” Hotch asked.

 

“A few days ago I would have said I didn’t know but when Dad and Nat took them ice skating the other night Jack said he needed to talk to Santa about some important things. I hope we got him everything he wanted.”

 

“I think I know what that was about.”

 

“What?” Emily asked.

 

“We’ll talk about it later.” Hotch kissed her. “I don’t want to talk right now.”

 

“Well you certainly want to do something, SSA Hotchner.” Emily grinned, accepting his affection. “I was going to make you a bite to eat…thought you might be hungry.”

 

“Actually baby, I'm maybe 20 minutes from crash and burn. I didn’t sleep much on this case.”

 

“That’s not good.” she ran her fingers through his hair.

 

Hotch leaned into her touch. He wanted her naked, he wanted to be too; he needed to be in her arms.”

 

“Aaron?”

 

“Mmm hmm?”

 

“I've been doing a lot of thinking.”

 

“About what?”

 

“The time is going to come in the very near future for major decisions.” Emily said.

 

“Decisions?” he stopped moving against her hand like a needy kitten.

 

“Both of us traveling as much as we do for work isn’t going to be feasible for much longer. It is not fair to my parents, no matter how much they love it. Four kids is a big load. Moreover, it’s not fair to the kids for long periods of separation from their parents. One of us needs to be here, be the primary parent.”

 

“We’ll talk about it after the holidays.”

 

“I'm scheduled to return in three weeks.”

 

“You don’t want to go back to work?” Hotch asked.

 

“I miss my job very much. It’s fulfilling and being a mother has not changed that. Still, it is dangerous and we have a family to consider.”

 

“ _We_ have a family to consider…the sacrifice should not fall squarely on your shoulders. We will talk about it after the holidays, I promise.”

 

Emily nodded as Hotch kissed her nose. She pulled him into a hug.

 

“I love you, Hotch, and I missed you terribly.”

 

“Me too and me too.”

 

Hotch wanted them to have it all but his rational side knew they could not. He remembered wondering what Emily would do after Sabrina was born. With Gregory and Natalie Prentiss offering their help, the Hotchners fell into a routine. Her parents were happy to have their granddaughter when work took them on the road. Meg always took Jack. Working side by side with his wife, profiling, saving people, and capturing the psychos made Hotch happy. Raising their family, being a father and sharing that experience with Emily was amazing.

 

Why should she have to give it all up just because she was the mother? He was a father, and wanted to be the best one he could. Maybe it was time for him to take the desk job. At least three Section Chief positions would open in the New Year. Hotch was not overly fond of a desk, at least not forever, but it wasn’t fair to carry none of the weight. Marriage was about sharing…the good things and the tough ones as well.

 

“I just want to get you out of these clothes and into my arms, Mrs. Hotchner. Everything else can wait. I am sure we can catch at least 10 winks before one of the twins wakes up.”

 

Emily nodded. She slipped her fingers between his, walking from the kitchen to the living room.

 

“This is a great tree.” Hotch said, bending to unplug the multicolored lights.

 

“Jack knew you would love it. They both refused to do ornaments and the angel without daddy.”

 

“Well daddy is home now.”

 

She smiled as they went upstairs. They checked once more on their sleeping children before going into the master bedroom. Hotch pushed the door up but didn’t close it. Taking Emily into his arms, her throat once again became the focus on his attention. She got him out of his tie and slowly unbuttoned his dress shirt. The Hanes tee shirt came out of his slacks and over his head. Her sweater came over her head too. They kissed as Emily worked on his slacks. Hotch picked her up in his arms as they pooled at his feet. He kicked off his shoes, stepped out of the slacks, and made his way over to the bed.

 

“Hotch…honey…”

 

“Hmm?” lying on the bed, he went back to undressing her. Emily had not lost all the weight from carrying the twins and he liked the extra flesh. There were times when Emily almost bordered on too thin, which amazed her husband because he watched her eat. Fifteen pounds or so was no reason to complain.

 

“Not yet.” She whispered.

 

“Not yet?” he looked at her, his fingers toying with her bra straps.

 

Emily shook her head.

 

“Are you alright, baby?”

 

“Yeah. It’s just…”

 

“You don’t have to explain, Em.” He kissed her. “We don’t do anything you're uncomfortable with, period.”

 

They had not made love since the beginning of Emily’s eighth month of pregnancy. She was having back problems and was frequently uncomfortable. They took the twins by Cesarean section since they were both lying in strange positions and refuse to move. It would take longer to heal and Hotch did not want her thinking all he cared about was how fast he could get her out of her clothes.

 

“If you want special attention,” Emily wrapped her arms around him. “I'm always happy to give it to you.”

 

“Your satisfaction is essential to me.” Hotch replied.

 

“I am, Secret Agent Man.” Emily grinned and he returned it.

 

“I think I am going to finish undressing you, admire your sexy body, and then hold you in my arms. Four days without you was too much.”

 

“Ditto.”

 

Emily relaxed as he undressed her. When they were both naked, Hotch held her in his arms. He turned off the lamp and listened to her breathe in the darkness. When Emily rubbed his stomach, Hotch exhaled. He only had a few days home with his family…end of year paperwork was calling. Hotch knew he would make the most of the time. Surprises were coming and he wanted to be there to see happiness in the eyes of the people he loved. The New Year would bring changes, exactly what he was unsure, but he knew he could handle it with Emily at his side.

 

***

                                                                                                        

  
  
 

  



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